Mt. Everest 2010 #42 - Base to Camp 2

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #42

Namaste everyone from Camp 2.

Today was kind of a difficult day. It started off pretty good, got up at 4:30, we left at about 5:15, just Tshering and myself. Made it up to Camp 1 in just over 4 hours, it was really good timing. It didn't feel like I was pushing it at all, everything felt great. And then from Camp 1 to Camp 2, which normally takes about 2- 2 1/2 hours, took me 4 hours! I had the tunes on, I kept taking breaks, but boy it was quite a slog. The last 2 hours, you can see Base, er, you can see Camp 4, sorry Camp 2, sorry for the last 2 hours we could see Camp 2 and it seems that it's never getting any closer. So you walk, and walk, and walk..aa, yeah.. it was a long day. Tshering came and found me just for the last ten minutes or so, took my pack and then when I got here, of course I'm the only one up here: everyone else is either down at Pheriche or at Base Camp; we have 2 team members that are up at Camp 3, the two Turkish guys.

And so instead of sitting in the dining tent all by myself, I asked the sherpas if I could sit with them in their dining tent. It is actually the cook tent, the dining tent, they sing in there, they tell jokes, they do all sorts of things. So I was allowed to go and sit with them and they were very nice, very polite, and I just had super in there with them as well 'cause I'm feeling a little bit lonely, kinda up here all by myself. But of course I get treated a little bit differently than they do. I got served some popcorn, and then some soup, and then I got served dhalbat, so dhalbat is, dhal, it's like lentils, bat is rice and some fried potatoes and some vegetables and stuff and they all watch me eat, and then, eventually, their food gets prepared and they eat pretty much the same thing that I do but mine was prepared specially so, which is really nice. I am getting treated really well here.

I've gone to bed now, it's 6:30 at night. I really didn't sleep at all yesterday, just being a little be anxious and not wanting to miss the, the um, 4:30 alarm and so I'm going to head off to sleep here pretty quick. The plan for tomorrow is for me to have a rest day here. Domhnall is going to come up from Base Camp all the way up to Camp 2, and we'll meet up, hopefully we'll be maybe sharing a tent so I won't be quite so lonely and then the following day if they start fixing the ropes, the wind has to die down for that, then I will head up to Camp 3 and Domhnall will spend the next day here, at Camp 2. The following day, when I move to Camp 4, he's going to go from Camp 2 all the way to Camp 4 which is a really long day for him and then we'll be poised for the summit push! So keep your fingers crossed that the, um, the ropes get put up above the South Col and that the weather stays good. And hopefully nothing is going to stop us. If it does, if the ropes don't get put up, then I'm going to spend an extra day here, waiting for that. If that doesn't happen, then I'm gonna go down, and then rest for a couple of days, and then do this all over again! So, which would be alright.

Everything's going well here. A bit of snow today, but everything was good. So everyone take care. Thanks for listening and I will call again tomorrow. Bye.